Connect, Share, and Innovate at the Efficiency Connections Northwest Conference

TACOMA, Wash., Nov. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) in partnership with utilities throughout Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington kicked off the second annual Efficiency Connections Northwest conference at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center in Tacoma, Wash. The two-day event – Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 – offers regional and national energy efficiency professionals a forum for collaboration on energy efficiency opportunities and ideas in the region. The Nov. 2 keynote speaker is futurist David Zach and Nov. 3 keynote speaker is L. Hunter Lovins, Co-Author of Climate Capitalism: Capitalism in the Age of Climate Change.

"Last year's Efficiency Connections NW highlighted the power of sharing forward-thinking ideas on accelerating energy efficiency in our region," said Steve Bicker, conservation resources senior manager, Tacoma Power. "We are pleased to be hosting our peers this year. Sharing our ideas about the future of energy use benefits energy consumers in Tacoma and across the region."

"Efficiency Connections NW helps illustrate the regional advantage that Northwest utilities have in building and leveraging relationships to influence the market," said Claire Fulenwider, executive director of NEEA. "At the heart of Efficiency Connections NW are utilities from public and private sectors, urban and rural areas, sharing their ideas and best practices for delivering energy efficiency throughout the region."

This year's Efficiency Connections NW is divided into three main categories: Best Practices, Expanding Horizons and Knowledge Sharing.  Breakout sessions will drill down to the important issues facing energy efficiency professionals such as measurement and verification, regional collaboration, marketing and strategic energy management, and energy efficiency in new construction.

Conduit, an online community that facilitates coordination and collaboration among energy efficiency professionals in the Northwest, will also play a prominent role at Efficiency Connections NW this year. NEEA, with additional support from the Bonneville Power Administration, launched Conduit in May 2011. Conduit now boasts almost 1000 energy professionals collaborating, sharing and discussing energy efficiency topics. During Efficiency Connections NW, attendees will have the chance to interact directly with Conduit at the "Conduit Lounge" a physical gathering place for attendees to sit back and relax during the conference. In the "Conduit Lounge" attendees can register and post on Conduit and continue the information sharing and conversations started at the event.

"Any time energy professionals gather to collaborate, the region wins," said Roger Woodworth, NEEA board chair and chief strategy officer at Avista. "Efficiency Connections NW is the perfect forum for sharing what we are learning about delivering energy efficiency to our customers and the region."

The full agenda to the show can be found here.

About the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is a non-profit organization working to maximize energy efficiency to meet our future energy needs. NEEA is supported by and works in partnership with the Bonneville Power Administration, Energy Trust of Oregon and more than 100 Northwest utilities for the benefit of more than 12 million energy consumers. NEEA uses the market power of the region to accelerate the innovation and adoption of energy-efficient products, services and practices. Since 1997, NEEA and its partners have saved enough energy to power more than 568,400 homes each year. Energy efficiency can satisfy more than half of our new demand for energy, saving money, and keeping the Northwest a healthy and vibrant place to live. For more information, visit neea.org.

SOURCE Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance